Refer to me as TS. Yes'm?

I actually got pretty tired of anime a while back, but I only stay on to practice writing and appease my uber-patient audience :) You guys make my heart smile.

Currently in high school, and loaded with back-breaking classes (AP Lit, AP Economics, AP this and that .). I love the color gray, writing (of course, of course), Roald Dahl, and The Cure. No, you cannot debate Robert Smith's excellence. And, please, never make a 'Twilight' reference. Much thanks.

All Things 'Traumerei'...

So, my own little Mafia-Romance fic has been receiving a lot of love lately, and that's lovely, but for some reason 'Traumerei' continues to beat its ass in terms of number of reviews, and that RenRuki story is completely dormant, lol.

- I do have to make a note to all you 'Traumerei' readers; while I appreciate and admire all the support you have bolstered me with these past few years, the story has been getting a bit too out of control. Not to mention it has managed to retain that childish air about it, and, quite frankly, I've grown out of these fairytale-like stories. It pains me just as much for doing this because I know that many of you loved its flow, but I wish to simply occupy myself with more sophisticated writing and storytelling, which is why 'Traumerei' will be discontinued. I think I jumped the shark after chapter 7...and then got eaten by the shark :o

However, if any of you wanted to know the ending I planned, feel free to send me a PM and I'll gladly reply :) Once again, I'm terribly sorry about this whole ordeal, but I thought it may be more considerate of me to tell you straight rather than have you all wait months and months (not that you already haven't ^^;;). I'll have to blame myself for digging such a deep hole; what I truly wanted was to twist the story as much as possible and tug more readers into my circle, but the setting of 'Traumerei' was not suitable for my nonsense. Plus, my Rukia was getting to be a tad bit too annoying and OOC. Once again, so sorry [ Please, however, feel free to view 'Black Champagne' for a fic more suited for adults :)

All Things 'Black Champagne'...

This section is reserved for review responses (aren't I kind-hearted?) and other comments I want to make about the story :)

- Ichigo's tattoos (requested): Yakuza Ink
- General Attire: Black Suit

And now for review responses...

1) Mikazuki Mitsukai: "WHY DID BYYAKUYA EVEN MARRY HER, ANYWAY?"

Re: Hrm, I don't want to give too much information on Halibel just yet, but I can tell you that the two did not marry for love. However, with Byakuya's marriage to Hisana, I simply followed the normal storyline and imply that they did wed out of love. Byakuya and Halibel, needless to say, married each other for economic ties and alliances more than anything else. It's no accident that Halibel is shrouded in mystery, and more details on her past will be revealed later in the fic :) *Hint -- I do not approve of this couple.

2) demon*feathers: "I really hope Grimmjow isn't a bad guy. Like a REAL bad guy."

Re: Nahh. He's my favorite male character, too, and I don't intend on making him an antagonist. The only reason he purposely likes to tick off Ichigo is because he can. But, take my word and trust that there isn't anything genuinely malevolent about his character :)

3) XxdaniXx: "there's so many questions going through my head..."

Re: Then ask away! ;D No - seriously - ask away.

4) NejiTenLuva: "How long exactly have you been writing?"

Re: Haha, that's a good question, actually. And, I suppose my predilection for writing over anything else is due to my love for the English language. I love learning about rhetorics, however, tbh, the only reason I started to pump up the quality of my writing is because my English classes in high school got way harder xD

"Although, if it is possible, try and get a chapter to relieve some of the tension before jumping into more conflict and stress."

Re: Right now I'm just trying to get the main story going. An arc would be lovely, and it'd be uber-fun, but I can sense the impatience getting to me ^^;; However, thanks for that suggestion, and if you like you may PM me about a possible outline of the arc's story.

5) nintendogirl50: "Sweet little Ururu was rape-d?"

Re: I'm a sick person [ I had to debate whether or not I should add that in. But, quite frankly, out of all the crimes committed in this world, rape angers me the most. Here, I wanted to paint Barragan as a super nasty person so that the audience becomes more passionate. There is nothing pretty about the Mafia, and rape of young children does happen. It's disgusting and absolutely sickening, but alas...

6) lovemydogs82: "I read in your A/N that you were contemplating a lemon, however the two of them aren't even comfortable enough for Rukia to touch his hand?"

Re: Nope. Rukia, in actuality, is perfectly fine with rolling around in the grass with him (it's already chapter 6 and she's 21 xD), but she's very cautious of what Ichigo thinks, considering his no-nonsense kind of character and reserve. Rukia is very open-minded and isn't afraid to be vocal about her sentiments, however I think I once insinuated Rukia's change in character - which is due to her crush on Ichigo. She doesn't want to scare him away, so she holds back :)

7) neko.feathers: "She isn't shallow enough to only think about his looks, although that is a part of it I'm sure."

Re: No, I wouldn't ever want Rukia to have that kind of shallow mindset. It's true that what attracted her first was his appearance, but she has gotten to know and admire his bravery, honesty, and genuineness. And plus, he saved her life once, and that act alone is worth a lot of points :D

"He will see her as a woman eventually, right?"

Re: I think he already does. After displaying her adamant and firm nature in chapter 6, I trust that Ichigo got the clear message: Rukia means business. She's not a princess waiting for her prince; she's the 4'9'' Amazonian-like, uber-beast who wants revenge. Btw, Orihime will be making an entrance sometime later on, and she is Rukia's perfect foil.

8) TheChroniclerX: "I mean did you really NEED all those words?"

Re: Ahaha, you have been the most blunt and direct of all my reviewers so far; I must say it's refreshing to have you comment, but while you do not like the way I carry out this story, I do not appreciate your exasperated tone with me. It's one thing to give constructive criticism, but it's another to compare my writing to the supposed "cutting of your teeth." Way to be chivalrous ;)

Now, I traditionally follow the older, Victorian style of writing, as I have read many books which were produced during the 19th century. That explains my predilection for more sophisticated words -- you can even call it a girl thing. I understand that integrating more beautiful words into my story does not necessarily make my writing better, but, hey, at least I get practice to expand my vocabulary. I'm sorry if my writing was difficult to pave through, lol, but I highly doubt it's going to change (Have you ever read The Scarlet Letter? If so, how did you survive that novel without tearing your hair out?) And to finally answer your question, yes, I did need all those words in Ichigo's speech because I wanted to emphasize the importance of it. I'm not the type to simply rush carelessly through a story; I like elongating instances to increase the dramatic effect ;p And, anyhow, I didn't think Ichigo's speech was that troublesome.

Btw, the ginger-head thing is staying. I'm not 100 percent certain if my entire response is right or wrong, but feel free to debate that :) Your review is much appreciated, sir. I thank you kindly.

All Things 'Himmel'...

Coming soon (maybe).

- TS